Praise for CG43, bench duo following Throwdown XV victory

Melbourne United Head Coach Dean Vickerman praised the trio of Chris Goulding, Shea Ili, and Ariel Hukporti for stepping up with the game on the line in Throwdown XV, delivered by DoorDash.

Despite a huge first half from star point guard Matthew Dellavedova (19 first half points), United found themselves down by 12 with just eight minutes of action remaining.

Searching for a way back into the game, Vickerman turned to his Captain, Goulding, who he had been using as more of a decoy throughout the contest.

“We made Chris more of an option in the fourth quarter… I thought we just had a good balance of making three-balls and putting our feet in the paint,” he said.

That balance created opportunities for CG43, who went on to score 13 points across the final eight minutes, including a deep three to put the defending champions up four with less than a minute of play left.

Despite having just three points heading into the final term, Goulding says his aggressive mindset never waivered.

“We just went into the playbook and found some different stuff. My mindset was just remain aggressive… When it’s your turn, try and put them in.  

“At that point (before the deep three) I’d hit a few, I felt good, I’m confident in that shot, if I’ve got that space, I’m going to take it.”

While much of the attention has gone to Goulding for his efforts, the bench duo of Shea Ili and Ariel Hukporti were equally pivotal to the victory, as they provided lockdown defence and clutch shot-making down the stretch.

Vickerman made sure to shout out the pair when he spoke to media postgame.

“Four minutes to go, he (Hukporti) is a 19-year-old kid and we put him in a big situation and I thought he was amazing. 

“The two or three blocks he had, the way he rebounded through that period, and the presence at the block that he had, it was huge for him to close out that game and be so effective.

“He (Ili) was amazing… that one play, he used the on ball, used it again, got into his stepback, a big possession and great confidence from him to want to take that shot.” 

The win keeps United on top of the NBL22 ladder heading into The Multicultural Game on Sunday 20 March from 1pm. Tickets are available here.

Prior to the game, Melbourne United will be hosting a free Multicultural Festival outside of John Cain Arena, showcasing the club’s diversity.